1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for interfacing with a personal telephony recorder. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for providing input to a personal telephony recorder through a variety of means designed to minimize interruption of a telephone call.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voice communication is the most common and one of the oldest forms of real-time remote communications. Real-time remote forms of communications are very good alternatives to face-to-face meetings, in which real-time communication is an important aspect. Voice communications are used for casual conversations, to conduct business, to summon for help in an emergency, to access special services (such as banking, retrieving messages), etc.
There are numerous types of devices operating over numerous types of networks to facilitate voice communications. Most of the voice-capable networks are also capable of transmitting data. The most common voice communication device is the traditional telephone operating over the Public Switched Telephone System (PSTN), also known as the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS). Through the PSTN, telephones are linked using complex switching systems at central offices or exchanges that establish a pathway for voice to be transmitted and received between one or more of the telephones. With appropriate devices, such as modems, for examples, the PSTN can be used for the transmission of data. The PSTN is still one of the most reliable networks for voice communication.
Voice communication can also be facilitated over the Internet or other such networks. Computers connected to the Internet first convert the voice into digital information and then convert the information into data packets. The packets are created according to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), a set of rules used with the Internet Protocol (IP) to send data in the form of packets between computers over the Internet. IP handles the actual delivery of the data while TCP keeps track of the individual data packets, into which the voice or other data is divided, for efficient routing through the Internet. The process of transmitting voice over the Internet or other such networks is called voice-over-IP. Voice communication through the Internet is not as reliable as it is through the PSTN. Internet-type networks were designed for data transmission where xe2x80x9creal-timexe2x80x9d transmissions are not necessary. The speed with which the packets move from one user to the other is very dependent on the type of connection each user establishes to the Internet, the type of computers/communication lines that exist between the two users, the amount of traffic through the Internet, etc.
Mobile phones and the wireless mobile network provide yet another method for voice communication. Through short-wave analog or digital transmissions, a user establishes a wireless connection from a mobile telephone to a nearby transmitter. Generally, mobile telephone service is available in urban areas and along major highways. As the mobile telephone user moves from one cell or area of coverage to another, the mobile telephone is transferred from one transmitter to the next. Today, the mobile network may be accessed not only by traditional personal mobile phones but also by Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), notebook computers with special communications cards, combination devices, etc. Many of these networks are capable of also transmitting through a number of existing protocols. Voice communication through the mobile network is also not as reliable as voice communication through the PSTN. Depending on the geography, certain areas may have better receptions than others. In large cities, for example, reception may be affected, for example, by big buildings, etc. A user who moves into a no-reception xe2x80x9cpocketxe2x80x9d can be xe2x80x9cdroppedxe2x80x9d from the call. A user may also be dropped while being transferred from one transmitter to the next. For example, a transmitter may be at full capacity and thus not be able to handle additional users.
Satellites provide another medium through which voice can be transmitted. A satellite is a specialized wireless receiver/transmitter launched by a rocket and placed in orbit around the earth. There are hundreds of satellites currently in operation. Geostationary satellites, the most common type of satellite, orbit the earth directly over the equator remaining over the same spot at all times. A geostationary satellite can be accessed using an antenna aimed at the spot in the sky where the satellite hovers. A low-earth-orbit (LEO) system employs a large fleet of satellites in a circular orbit at a constant altitude of a few hundred miles over the geographic poles. An LEO satellite system operates similarly to a mobile phone network where users are transferred from satellite to satellite. As with any other wireless system of communication, reliability is a concern. The connection to the satellite may be affected by such things as weather, obstacles between the user and the satellite (such as being inside a building).
These and other types of networks through which voice may be transmitted are linked with one another to facilitate voice communication across all of the networks. For example, a mobile phone user may establish a telephone call with a user connected through the PSTN, a user having a satellite phone, a user connected through the Internet, etc. In addition, communication may be established between more than two users. Some telephone devices and services are xe2x80x9cthree-wayxe2x80x9d capable and establish communication between three users. Certain devices and services have the capability to conference three or more users. A telephone conference allows multiple parties to talk to each other in real time.
Typically, a conference leader contacts a telecommunications service provider and reserves a conference bridge, a computer-controlled device for interconnecting callers. The user may reserve a certain number of telephone lines at a specific date and time. The conference leader may provide each user with an access number and/or password/access code. The users may dial in from any type of voice-capable communications device that can access the bridge. The leader may also select dial-out service for some or all of the other users, where the leader provides bridge with the users"" phone numbers, and the bridge either automatically or through an operator dials each user""s telephone number at the scheduled time of the conference to connect the user to the conference bridge.
One challenge of telephone devices is the difficulty of making requests and sending commands to the device during an on-going telephone call. This is particularly challenging in remote situations where the user communicates with the personal telephony recorder using a handheld communication device and sends commands to the device through a telephone network. Traditional commands that are sent to a telephone device are limited in scope or otherwise interrupt the on-going telephone call.
What is desired, therefore, is a method and system that provides unobtrusive ways of communicating with a telephone device. What is also needed is an advaced personal telephony recorder that is capable of receiving commands in a variety of ways depending upon the type of telephone device being used by the telephone participant.
It has been discovered that a personal telephony recording (PTR) system can record a telephone conference and can replay the recording after the end of the conference or during the telephone conference. The PTR is capable of establishing a telephone conference between two or more users. The users can connect to the PTR from different types of networks. One user may, for example, connect through the mobile network, another may connect via satellite, and another may connect through the Internet. Each user may connect to the PTR using a device having one or more types of communication lines. For example, a PDA may connect to the PTR through a voice line and a data line.
The PTR is also capable of recording the conference in audio format, text format (obtained by converting the audio to text), or both. If text is recorded in real time, the users will have the option of recalling the textual information in addition to recalling the recorded audio. Other information-such as time and user data-may also be recorded along with the audio and text. In one embodiment, both text and audio may be compressed (in real time if required) to save storage space.
During the recording of the conference, the PTR continuously monitors for any commands issued by the users. A user may issue commands by voice or by sending data (for example, text) through the user""s device. A user using a device with video capabilities can use facial cues, such as a facial expression, that is recognized as a command and sent to the personal telephony recorder. Video-based users can also send commands using a doppler shift created by moving away from or towards the video recorder or a portion of the recorder.
Personal telephony recorder users that use a pervasive computing device, such as a handheld computer or personal digital assistant, can issue commands by using a thumb switch usually located on the side of the device, or by using a stylus to select portions of the device""s screen, such as command buttons.
User commands may include playback-type commands such as play, rewind, fast forward, stop, pause, etc. With this type of commands, a user can navigate through the recorded data. For example, a user may xe2x80x9cpausexe2x80x9d the incoming live feed, rewind through the recorded data, replay a portion of the data, and finally fast forward to the end of the recorded data to rejoin the live conversation. Other commands a user could issue include requests to search the recording for particular information, insert bookmarks, or to perform data processing.
In one embodiment, while the user is issuing commands and is reviewing missed information, only the user can hear the playback. Thus, the other users may continue the conference undisturbed. The PTR could be set, however, to send to other users a characteristic tone, for example, when a certain user gets disconnected from the conference, another when a user rejoins to review previously-recorded data, and another characteristic tone when a user rejoins the xe2x80x9clivexe2x80x9d conference.
The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, as defined solely by the claims, will become apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forth below.